Team-BHP - Maruti A-Star review + test Drive

Quote:

Originally Posted by aseem (Post 1063107)

When I read forummers comparing i-10 with A Star I cant help but remember exactly 3 years back when I had joined this forum, there was a huge debate going on to compare Swift and Getz. The hyundai lovers in this forum had gone overboard to claim that Swift had an old engine (nobody used to discuss the old engine was better than Hyundai's new engine in both FE and power), poor finish, poor handling, poor brakes etc. etc. We all know what happened to Getz, dont we.
Similarly those who claim that leg space in A Star is less, exhagerate it so much that for the uninitiated to Indian auto market and strictly reading posts in this thread, he would probably feel i-10 leg space is that of a Limo (lol) and A Star's that of a 2 door car. As far as power goes, if thats your driver, buy a Swift Lxi. If you want a City runabout with a mix of features and enough power, buy an i-10, if you watn a City runabout with features and mileage than buy an A-Star. Each car is positioned differently. Those who exhaggerate i-10 beneifts should compare it with Swift, since the Kappa is quite close to its price (they have similar price difference as that of A Star and i-10). But you dont see that comparison here, as its more turning out to be a Hyundai lovers bashing Maruti thread.

My full marks, Aseem!

Eventhough I was not a Team-BHPian 3 yeras back, I can say that the Hyundaians here are promoting their cars and demoting Marutis with a biased approach.

I had been to the nearest Maruti dealer yesterday to see & TD the A Star. Here are my views:

Based on some write ups I had imagined that this car is an ugly duckling, but my first impression was not that. I am not saying that it was a love at first sight either. It’s contemporary. However the rear part if I look from the side it looks like the car does not have a tailgate. Probably a rear spoiler would have made it more appealing.

The interiors have been a total let down. The boot space is a complete disaster. The rear leg room and shoulder room is also a sore point. The glove box and the bottle holders are tiny. As an after thought I feel, may be the entire car itself was built for snow white to take her dwarfs around.

I had read in the forum that dash board plastic is bad. But I think the dash board plastic is bearable. What is not good is the door trim plastic and the opening levers.

The instrument cluster is the most difficult to read cluster. The low fuel warning lamp is very hard to notice and read. The crimson red lighting is good only on a brochure, but its not too soft on the eye.

The test drive was done in a Zxi. The suspension and gear shift quality is good, unlike other small cars of Maruti. The steering wheel and the effort to manoeuvre was also good.

The car is silent when its idling. But in high rpms its loud and doesn’t give a sporty grunt. I could feel a minor vibration while in idling. I felt that the engine was gasping for power in second gear, when you try accelerating suddenly. So I had to accelerate gradually to reach a good speed.

Some feedback for Maruti – The zxi has airbags, which I feel can be a boon as well as a bane to the typical middle class Indian consumer. As there are numerous occasions for the dual airbags to open up in our Indian roads (read small mishaps which do not warrant a airbag opening), Maruti could have provided a on/off switch which I have seen in a Sonata.

The full size wheel caps may fall off – so Maruti should give some plastic loops free with the car

Small & smart features like a fuel cap holder on the lid, bumper inserts, waist line moulding, boot lid opening lever, etc. could have been there. I10 clearly scores over the A Star in this front.

Overall, I feel that this car is not too practical for a typical Indian family & there has been a lot of compromises on providing high standards of quality. The much advertised fuel efficiency alone is the only trump card for this car. My personal opinion – i10 clearly wins by a huge margin.

The delivery period quoted by this dealer is 7 days if it’s a Vxi in white or Silver colour. Remaining colours / models / variant is more as per the consultant, who did not know more than the price & the fuel economy.

All these views are completely personal and do not want to insult any Maruti fan or any A star lover. No Maruti bashing or Hyundai loving here at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbhikari (Post 1065934)

Can't point out a single good reason to buy this car. Why don't they provide rear passengers comfortable sitting. Hamara Bajaj days are over man, when whole family goes on a scooter climbing one on other. Give me some space. Wake up Maruti. A loved company going to ashes! May God save them.

What about mileage? i10 1.1 gives 13-14 avg and i10 1.2 gives 11-12 avg. A-Star offers 17-19 (don't know in reality, but will not be as bad as i10). Isn't a good reason?

Then, about rear seat legroom: Consider a young, average-income Indian professional who drives his car to his office daily. Do he need a bulky gas-guzzler?

For occasional weekend shopping / cinema / trips, that small space is enough for him, his wife and one or two small children.

And also:

1. He is not going to carry his whole family of father, mother, brothers, sisters etc all the time in his car.
2. Every week he is not going to buy a 60-KG rice bag! A maximum of 20Kg of items, right?

It's all only occasional. And for that special times, they can adjust to the small legroom, or rent a big MUV (for family trips) / an autorikshaw (for shopping).

Quote:

Originally Posted by romeomidhun (Post 1066117)

Then, about rear seat legroom: Consider a young, average-income Indian professional who drives his car to his office daily. Do he need a bulky gas-guzzler?

For occasional weekend shopping / cinema / trips, that small space is enough for him, his wife and one or two small children.

And also:

1. He is not going to carry his whole family of father, mother, brothers, sisters etc all the time in his car.
2. Every week he is not going to buy a 60-KG rice bag! A maximum of 20Kg of items, right?

It's all only occasional. And for that special times, they can adjust to the small legroom, or rent a big MUV (for family trips) / an autorikshaw (for shopping).

Not a convincing sales talk! Come on in that case even a Maruti800 will do, why an A-Star?:Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimi (Post 1066195)

Not a convincing sales talk! Come on in that case even a Maruti800 will do, why an A-Star?:Frustrati

M800 targets totally different segment. Those who want the cheapest car!
Astar as greenhorn pointed out is for those having small families. Dont you think smaller families is becoming the norm these days? How many of us live with our parents, esp working professionals or univ students etc?
In the end it is another option! Of course there are other options like i10 or Santro or WagonR or Estilo or Matiz. Somebody looking for space and power will look at i10, somebody looking at "Maruti" reliability and economy of use will prefer a Astar or WagonR or Estilo. All these products have their own merits. There is no such thing as best car among these. Each one's curry...

I am for one very impressed with this little car. Satisfies most of my demands. Very nimble, ecomonical, maruti name, good quality, safety features unlike others in same price range - Zxi has almost everything (except alloys and rear demister/wiper). For 4.5 lacs on road (in Delhi) it is simply the best car available (for a family of 2 or 3).

Quote:

Originally Posted by romeomidhun (Post 1065648)

My full marks, Aseem!

Eventhough I was not a Team-BHPian 3 yeras back, I can say that the Hyundaians here are promoting their cars and demoting Marutis with a biased approach.

I had the opportunity to see and test drive a A star today at Vistsse Motors worli. Hyundai lovers can say anything but i was impressed by the external looks of the car. Though rear Boot space is small compared to wagon-R or Swift, Dashboard looks are very new compared to other Maruti cars. Front seat legroom is also good. Test drive with AC on and 4 passengers was satisfactory. If Car delivers its promised Mileage (19.6Kmpl) i think it would be huge hit.

RP

Quote:

Originally Posted by joslicx (Post 1066301)

Buying from maruti is like buying from the maa-baap sarkar and people concentrate at the positive side of things almost.. :D